Eddie Waitkus, the son of Lithuanian immigrants, grew up in Boston. Eddie began his pro career in 1938 playing for the Worumbo Indians, a semi-pro team sponsored by Worumbo Woolen Mill in Lisbon Falls, Maine. As a rookie, he was known as "the natural," which gave the title to the book loosely based on his life. He saw some of the bloodier fighting of World War II with the U.S. Army in the Philippines, awarded four Bronze Stars. Upon his return to baseball he quickly became a star for the Chicago Cubs. He also became a popular media figure, as he was well-educated and was fluent in the Lithuanian, Polish, German and French languages.[1] Following the 1948 season, the Cubs traded Waitkus with Hank Borowy to the Philadelphia Phillies for Monk Dubiel and Dutch Leonard.

The Shooting

Just a few years into the start of what seemed a very promising career, Ruth Ann Steinhagen, an obsessed fan, shot Waitkus at Chicago'sEdgewater Beach Hotel on June 14, 1949.[2] In one of the earliest recognized cases of criminal stalking,[3] Steinhagen had become infatuated with him when he was a Cub, but seeing him every day in-season may have kept her obsession in check.

Once he was traded to the Phillies and would only be in Chicago 11 games in the season, her obsession grew to dangerous proportions. She checked into the hotel using the alias of a former high school classmate of his, and left a note at the desk asking him to come to her hotel room on an urgent matter.

When he came to her room, thinking it was a girlfriend of his, she shot him with a .22 calibre rifle, the bullet barely missing his heart. She immediately called the desk to report the shooting and was found cradling his head in her lap.[3]

He nearly died several times on the operating table before the bullet was successfully removed. Steinhagen never stood trial, but instead was confined to a mental institution. Steinhagen's obsession and stalking was covered at length in one of the Fireside Book of Baseballentries.

On the night of August 19, 1949, the Phillies held "Eddie Waitkus Night" at Shibe Park and showered Waitkus with gifts. Waitkus was in uniform for the first time since he was shot in Chicago. After the 1950 season, Waitkus was named the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year.[4]

Prior to the 1954 season, the Baltimore Orioles purchased Waitkus from the Philadelphia Phillies for $40,000 ($341,958 in current dollar terms). Released by the Orioles in 1955, he returned to the Phillies for the remainder of the season, retiring at the end of the year.

Waitkus suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his shooting, which ultimately affected both his career and his marriage. He went through some rough times and died at a relatively young age from esophageal cancer. But his final years were satisfying to him, as he became an instructor for Ted Williams' baseball camp, an activity he enjoyed and which he continued almost to the end of his life.